Wests Tigers Forum

Talking the talk

Talking the talk

Posted: Fri 04 Apr, 2014 8:22 pm

by innsaneink

Wests Tigers utility player Blake Austin had an unwelcome taste of what Manly halfback Daly Cherry-Evans can expect at Leichhardt on Sunday.

Austin, who is pressing hard for a first grade berth after a series of outstanding performances at five-eighth in the NSW Cup, was crunched in a tough tackle at Tigers' training and limped from the field with what was described as a cork. Ominously, Cherry-Evans's name was being bandied about during the willing session.

Wests Tigers forward Adam Blair tried to hose down the notion he and his teammates would be intent on hunting Cherry-Evans.

"I don't think [it's] trying to shut down, I think it is having an awareness of where he is on the field," said Blair on the tactics to counter Cherry-Evans on Wednesday. "A lot of plays [revolve] around Daly, he's a great player and obviously everyone has seen him play but he drives a lot of their plays and they're playing a lot of good football off the back of him.

"As long as we have a lot of awareness of where he is on the field we'll go close to slowing him down."

Wests prop Martin Taupau was a lot less diplomatic when asked whether the prospect of meeting the "red hot" Sea Eagles was a daunting task.

"Wouldn't say red hot," said Taupau. "Most people say they're intimidating but there is nothing that worries us as a forward pack, especially with our bench.

"We're not going to take a backwards step, we're not scared of anyone especially with James Gavet and Ava [Seumanufagai] . . . we're going stand up. Big [Manly prop] Jason King gave it to the Burgess brothers; we stepped up to the Burgess brothers and we'll do the same to Manly."

Former Australian centre Chris Lawrence credited the hard yards being made up-front by the likes of Taupau, Aaron Woods, Gavet and Keith Galloway for giving the backs room to move.

"They've really been leading from the front," said Lawrence. "They've been outstanding and not just 'Woodsy' and 'Keithy' but the guys coming off the bench have provided great impact."

Taupau, who joined the Wests Tigers from Canterbury, made it clear there was no science behind the Tigers' forwards' philosophy and approach to 2014.

"We have to play good footy," he said. "To play good footy we have to smash everyone on the opposition - and that's what we want to do."

Meanwhile, the likes of Lawrence, Galloway, Blair and Woods had a united message for Canterbury, who are believed to be circling boom fullback James Tedesco.

"They can keep their hands off," said Lawrence. "We'd love to have him, he's a great player and not only that he's a great guy; really level-headed, a great bloke to have around the team. He's got to do what's best for himself but we'll be urging him to stay at the Tigers."

Blair said while it was obvious everyone wanted Tedesco to remain, it would be hard for any professional footballer to ignore the amount of money the Bulldogs were purportedly offering him.

"Hopefully he doesn't want to go," said Blair. "I know 'Teddy' has got some close good mates here, there's some good young boys he's playing with at the moment and they have a really good combination going ... hopefully at the end of the day he wants to stay, but it'd be hard when there's a club like the Bulldogs showing big money around for a young kid with a bright future and heaps of talent."